Significance
Assuming that the inscription on the James ossuary is genuine, the next question is whether "brother of Jesus" refers to Jesus, the founder of Christianity.
Professor Camil Fuchs of Tel Aviv University stated that, of the thousands of ossuaries found, only one has been found with a reference to a brother, concluding that "there is little doubt that this was done only when there was a very meaningful reason to refer to a family member of the deceased, usually due to his importance and fame." He produced a statistical analysis of the occurrence of these three names in ancient Jerusalem and concluded that, at the time, there were 1.71 people named James with a father named Joseph and a brother named Jesus. Professor Fuchs says he can state with 95 per cent assurance that it is a statistically accurate conclusion.
Read more about this topic: James Ossuary
Famous quotes containing the word significance:
“I am not afraid that I shall exaggerate the value and significance of life, but that I shall not be up to the occasion which it is.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“History is the interpretation of the significance that the past has for us.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)
“Of what significance the light of day, if it is not the reflection of an inward dawn?—to what purpose is the veil of night withdrawn, if the morning reveals nothing to the soul? It is merely garish and glaring.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)